CEBU CITY, Cebu, Jan. 11 (PIA) -- The Regional Development Council 7 (RDC-7) has passed a resolution seeking the inclusion of lung cancer in the Z Benefits Package of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). 

The said resolution was endorsed by RDC-7's Social Development Committee (SDC) during the RDC-7 Fourth Quarter Full Council Meeting on Dec. 3, 2021 via Zoom. 

During the meeting, SDC Chairperson Evelyn Nacario-Castro reported that based on the data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the top cancer disease in the Philippines for 2020 was lung cancer causing an estimated 17,000 deaths in the same year.

Of the total, 11,965 were male Filipinos and 5,098 female Filipinos. 

The inclusion of lung cancer in the Z Benefits Package will serve as a great help to lung cancer patients in the country as they can now avail the said benefits package where health services are paid through packaged rates that will cover all mandatory and other services necessary to achieve high survival rates and the best outcomes for the member.

The Z Benefits Package also aims to provide relevant services that accord better health outcomes and financial risk protection to members, especially the poor, who are afflicted with "catastrophic illnesses." 

Cancers which are identified as Z conditions include Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Breast Cancer, Prostate, Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Colon Cancer, and Rectum Cancer.

RDC-7 is hoping for PhilHealth to grant its request to provide full support for lung cancer patients towards the course of their treatment and recovery process. (RGC/PIA7)